Ukraine war: Govt asks Indian students to not reach Ukraine border directly

The India government has advised Indian students stuck in war zone Ukraine to try and move towards the western side of the country and stay in nearby towns. The Ministry of External Affairs has also asked the students to not reach the border directly.

They should go to the border for crossing into neighbouring Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova only after coordinating with the authorities, the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters on Monday.

Reports said that over 8,000 Indians have left Ukraine since the MEA's first advisory before Russia launched the attack. THhe MEA has informed that so far 1,396 students have reached India in six evacuation flights under "Operation Ganga".

Three more flights are planned in the next 24 hours - two from Bucharest to Mumbai and Delhi, and one from Budapest to Delhi.

The MEA asked students and their parents not to panic about flight availability. The government has assured more flights to bring back India who cross the Ukrainian border. The MEA spokesperson said that the government's main concern is to ensure Indians are able to cross the Ukraine border safely.